All in a Golden Dream
by Envious Sloth
Summary: Takes place in between the farewell to Gilbert until when Oz and Alice finally reunite with Gil after so long.


And so, he and Alice fall back into the golden light, the image of their dear friend dressed in black dissipates from their sight. Tears remain billowing from his eyes as he said goodbye — both had tears still streaming down their faces as they fall together and letting the light take them away.

The Abyss is so beautiful, he remembers thinking. He glances over at Alice, who keeps her eyes at where they last saw Gil, and he follows her gaze, despite knowing it will be a long time before he sees his best friend again.

"How long do you think it will be until we see Gil?" Oz asks Alice quietly, and Alice crosses her arms and smiles with such triumph and assurance.

"Soon enough!" Oz can see Alice fighting through her tears for once. "That stupid seaweed head better still be there!"

"I hope so, too," Oz grabs hold of Alice's hand and grips it tightly. "It wouldn't be nice of Gil to break his promise."

"Mhmm!" Alice nods, wiping her tears, "So he better see us soon!"

"Well, I think it's more like _we_ need to see him soon," Oz chuckles, also wiping his own tears away with his free hand. "But until we see him again, let's—"

"Who are we seeing again?"

Huh...? Oz blinks in confusion at Alice's words.

"Gil, of course! What are you talking about?" Oz asks.

"Gee... el," Alice repeats to herself in an odd pronunciation.

Oz grabs Alice's shoulder, "Yes! Him! Alice, what's happening? Did you hit your head or something?"

"Of course not! I'm fine!" Alice crosses her arms. "But it's always been Alice and Oz!"

"No it hasn't! There was three of us! You, me, and —"

And?

Wait... what was he talking about?

"And?" Alice asks curtly.

"A-and..."

There was something he wanted to say. What was it again?

"Silly manservant!" Alice smiles, "Silly ideas!"

"N-No, we were talking to someone before we helped... someone." Somehow remembering is getting harder and harder for Oz and he panics at the holes in his memory.

"The Core! We saved the world and saved Alyss!" Alice points out.

"Re... Right," Oz mutters. "But why?"

"I don't know!" Alice shrugs, "But Oz! Let's enjoy the golden land, okay?"

"Wait, Alice!" He shouts to her, holding tighter to her hand, afraid if he lets go, she'll disappear into the golden light as well.

As well?

But Alice freezes as though hit by something.

"Alice?" Oz calls out again, but Alice's eyes are closed shut. He shakes her, but to no avail, she doesn't wake up.

"No no. Alice? Wake up." Oz keeps calling, but Alice is busy in some far dream.

Soon, Oz feels a sudden hit of dizziness sweep over him. His eyelids grow heavy and he fights to keep them open, but his bleary eyes fall on the sleeping Alice and do the same, as he calls out one more time, gripping with his last ounce of strength onto Alice's hand.

He wonders how long has this dream been going. He's been holding Alice's hand for a long time and watching the golden lights swirl around them.

All he knows is Alice and the place that surrounds him. Perhaps that's all that ever was. He wouldn't be surprised.

He glances over to Alice. Still asleep, he sees. The silly girl... She's been asleep the entire time. If he didn't know better, Oz would have thought Alice was surely dead, but she was just musing in her dream. It must have been some dream, he wonders.

That's all he can ever do here. As he and Alice floats around, all that's left for him to do is to just ponder on what kind of dream Alice is having. He doesn't want to go back to sleep; is it odd for him to say that he's tired of sleeping?

He could try, at least. Who knows when Alice is going to wake up? It could be within the next five seconds or in, what he assumes to be, the next five hours.

His spring grass eyes still lay on Alice, watching her breathe softly as she snoozes. Her image enough makes him want to go to sleep again — peaceful and calm. How unlike Alice.

Tired eyes, Oz lets himself close his eyes again, letting his thoughts roam aimlessly and allowing himself to fall into slumber.

But something makes his ears perk. Something distant from him, but he can hear _something._ Unsure of what it was, he tries to focus his thoughts on the clinging.

Slowly but surely, each ting comes together successively into something... familiar.

"I've heard... this tune somewhere before," Oz groggily opens his eyes and slurs, peeking at the golden lights that surround the two. He searches the lights for the source of the melody, but he cannot see anything.

The tune continues to play and it almost makes him want to lull back to sleep. The sound is comforting, as though he were being embraced and held by someone dear. Like he was somewhere that he truly belonged.

Belonged...?

He doesn't understand why he was feeling the way he did, but... that was the only way he could put his feelings into words.

Oz keeps a careful focus on the tune again. It is close to him, but he isn't sure where.

That is, until...

"Oy, shorty!"

Eh?

Unfamiliar. Another voice other than his own. It couldn't be. It's only ever Oz and Alice. How can someone else possibly be—?

"Have some respect, would you?" The grouchy voice complains. He can hear a sense of youth in the person's energetic voice... and familiarity. "Turn around and greet me!"

Turn around? Oz does what the annoyed voice tells him to do, and sure enough, there _is_ another person besides him and Alice. Standing before him, he makes out a figure from the lights: a relatively tall and lean male with odd and messy looking beige hair and his eyes glow of sapphire blue. His clothes fit his stature well; rich and noble in its looks. It only made the male seem all the more prideful.

Oz merely stares at the other, who held a bit of a smirk in his expression. Well, until Oz stared at him long enough to warrant a frown and crossed arms from the other.

"What's with that stupid look on your face, Vessalius?" The other boy grumbles.

"Ah... Ah," Oz stifles a response, scratching his cheek and embarrassed of his inability to respond. "I'm sorry about that."

"Huh?" The other raises a brow. He leans down towards Oz, making Oz move a little back and holding tightly to Alice's hand. The male squints, scrutinizing Oz.

Then his blue eyes shoot wide open, "Huuuh?! No way."

"Hu, Huh?" Oz stutters nervously to the stranger.

"You seriously can't remember? God, is your brain that small or something?" The male starts complaining. Can't remember?

"Hey, that's uncalled for," Oz asserts against the other, but the other only shakes his head in disappointment.

"Jeez, how long were you just wandering around in here, huh?!" The male continues irritatedly. Oz is completely baffled as to what to say to the male, but he couldn't help but feel like he is familiar to him. For some reason, it seems as though he is used to this agitated manner of the male.

Why is that though?

"Oh, please take it easy on Oz," It's another voice, and again, Oz isn't sure who that is. He still couldn't tell when the person to whom the voice belonged to appears behind the yelling male. He's sure it's the shorter female, with her hair tied with a bow that spoke, not the tall, lanky male with glasses.

"Oh, please; Shorty here is doing just fine! If it weren't for me, he'd _still_ be wandering around aimlessly like the dumbass he is!" The ashy blonde argues back before crossing his arms.

"It seems Alice hasn't woken up, hm?" The male with the glasses gently interjects, smiling at both Alice and Oz.

"Ahh, what do you expect from the silly rabbit? She's probably dreaming about eating meat. How typical~" Another voice and another figure appears. A male with white hair whose bangs covered his left eye, only revealing his red right eye. He flings his arms around the girl with the bow and the man with glasses. There's a twinkle in his lone eye that sparks mischief.

"How nice it is to see you again, Oz!" The man with the single eye greets.

"Forget it, Break. Oz doesn't remember a damn thing," The ashe blonde boy grumbles.

"Oh? Is that why he has a dumb look on his face?" Immediately, Oz opens his mouth to try and argue back, but the white haired male known as "Break" just laughs. "Oh, I know. What did you expect with such an ending like that?"

"You knew this was going to happen?" The female asks.

"I guess… when Oz and Alice took care of the Will of the Abyss, they did merge with the Will before getting rid of her… So maybe that's why…" The lanky male tries to reason.

"Will of… the Abyss?" Oz repeats quietly to himself, causing everyone to turn back towards him.

"Yes," The female smiles at him, "You saved the world, both you and Alice, and helped the Will. Now the Abyss is back to the way it is now."

"And it certainly is a dream, wouldn't you say, Sharon?" Break says in a singsong tune. The lady, Sharon, nods quietly.

"Agh, I don't get that crap," The ashy blonde rubs his head in irritation. "All that junk about the Abyss or whatever."

"And yet, here you are in the Abyss, anyways, Elliot," Sharon teases. The ashy blonde Elliot clicks his tongue and turns away.

"Now now," Reim waves both his hands, "Shouldn't we all be working to help Oz and Alice here?"

"You haven't done so already?" There's yet another voice coming in, and something seems weirdly warm about it — despite there being a lack of inflection in the voice. Soon from the light emerges a girl with white hair and bright blue eyes. As soon as her eyes fall on Oz, a smile graces her face and Oz can feel his chest grow warm all of a sudden.

"Oz," The girl calls his name.

"Ah, Echo, it's nice of you to join us!" Sharon welcomes the white haired girl.

"I was supposed to call you all. The others have been waiting for a while and they had to send me." Echo shakes her head and sighs. She turns her head back to the bright lights of the Abyss before she says, "But I guess everyone has to come and meet Oz and Alice here."

Everyone…?

Oz peeks over and past the shoulders of everyone around him and Alice, and slowly but surely, more faces begin to appear, all smiling with glee. A fatherly looking male with glasses and a beard who had such a hearty laugh when he met eyes with Oz. An elderly lady escorted by a male with long red hair. A man whose eyes feel so cold to look at, in contrast to the male who bears the same image, yet even looking at him, seeing him stand here, Oz feels a sense of comradery.

The more people's faces begin to appear from the light, the more Oz felt confused. Why is it that they have come to gather around him like this? And all of a sudden, no matter.

Still, he couldn't complain; he is more curious than anything, especially when he thought that something like this would make him anxious. In fact, the opposite is true; he feels no fear rippling in his chest but in its stead, warmth and comfort. Like he is being welcomed back after a long journey.

Welcomed back? Weird words to choose when he has no memory of these people that stand before him.

But here he stands anyways: he, Alice, and the group of people that have greeted him. They all surround him with smiles that could rival those of the Abyss's light, and in that moment, all he can feel is happiness… serenity.

Then, there is that clinging again. Tings of a melody that played earlier.

And something in Oz blooms at the sound — to the sound that matches the scenery before him. Something that flows through him with such ease.

"Oz, what's the matter?" Echo asks him.

"Hey, what happened to my wish for you to be happy?" The fatherly male with glasses jokes with him, "My dear nephew can't be crying right now!"

Crying?

Instantly, Oz reaches a hand up to his eyes and he can feel water fall from them. He didn't expect himself to be crying. He can't help but chuckle at how silly he must look in front of everyone, but he allows himself to cry, wiping the tears as they come.

"Hey, Oz, why the hell are you crying?!" Elliot asks.

"I… I don't know... " Oz admits, continuing to wipe the tears. "I'm just… overwhelmed. I just feel so... happy."

He couldn't really look up at everyone. His vision wouldn't allow it either with how many tears keep appearing and reappearing no matter how much he wiped, but he smiles brightly towards those around him. Because despite the tears, he needs them to know that he really _is_ happy in that moment. He couldn't ask for a better feeling, and while he may not know why he feels this way, Oz is just happy that he does feel it.

"Aw, my sweet little rabbit, why are you crying?" Oz really thought that would be the last of the people to appear, but it seems he is wrong. The group of people that surround him part to reveal, not just one but two people: a male and a female. The female is dressed in a rather large dress that's riddled in laces at every helm — the sleeves, the bottom of the skirt, the collar. Her eyes are a brilliant crimson that stand out from under her jet black hair. Accompanying her is a male that seems awfully familiar. While everyone else does give Oz a sense of familiarity, this male in particular seems like a mirror — a twin from another universe, the way that his long, blonde hair curls around his face and how green his eyes are. Green like spring grass, much like his own.

And it is from them, that he realizes that the tune he has been hearing is coming from them. In the hands of the male that looks much like Oz is a box he recognized as a music box.

Ah, that is why he hears those metallic clingings constructed into a tune.

Oh, Oz forgot that the lady posed a question to him.

Oz rubs some of his final tears and tries to smile at the lady as she approaches.

But the lady clicks her tongue in what he assumes is disappointment.

The crimson-eyed lady reaches out her long pale fingers towards Oz's face, making Oz look at the lady. From so close, he can see how similar she is to Alice. Awfully similar.

"Oh, this won't do, Oz," The lady continues to click her tongue as she rubs her thumb against Oz's cheek before frowning. "This place is supposed to make you happy. So why is it that you cry, Oz?"

"I'm not… sad. These are happy tears," Oz admits before reaching up to touch the lady's hand against his face, but the lady pulls her hands away from him before he can touch them.

She pulls her frown into a smile before extending her arms towards both him and Alice, pulling the two into a large embrace, and Oz simply allows her to do it. It feels like it has been so long since he has felt something like this before, and he enjoys the feeling quite a lot. He shuts his eyes in the embrace.

In a gentle voice, he hears the lady speak.

"Seems that the both of you really did become good friends, as I had wished. Thank you, Oz."

"Yeah…" Oz trails off, still dazed by the warmth of the embrace, but something in his heart makes him continue. Words that he isn't sure why he felt the need to say, but it was like somewhere in the back of his mind, the words had fought its way to the forefront of his mind. "After all, I wanted to thank you for allowing me to exist."

"You flatter me," The lady teases before ruffling Oz's hair and letting both him and Alice go. She gives him another smile, with her light pink lips before the male who resembled Oz talked.

"Lacie, isn't it about time you left them on their way?"

The lady Lacie pouts, "Must we hurry so quickly, Jack?"

Jack simply laughs at Lacie.

Lacie sighs with closed eyes, shaking her head, before turning back to Oz. Again she smiles as she looks at him, and Oz just feels himself all the more mesmerized by the woman, especially with what he said. Where those words came from, he isn't sure, nor does he know the meaning of them, but he wishes he knows.

"Well, Oz, I think it's about time that you and Alice finally leave, don't you agree?" Lacie crosses her arms.

"Leave?" Oz questions. Weren't they always here?

"Yes. After all, you have someone important waiting for you. Surely, you don't want to keep them waiting, right?"

"Someone… important?" Oz repeats after Lacie's words. He closes his eyes and tries to remember who that person could be. Obviously, it couldn't be Alice if she's right here. Lacie apparently is important to him, too, but she's right here, as well. So then… who?

"You can't be late to your very important date," Lacie continues, "But, I have a favor to ask of you before you go."

"Of course," Oz nods. His response feels like there's already an established camaraderie between them. Perhaps his slipped words gave way to him trusting Lacie so easily. "What is it?"

It is then that Lacie takes hold of Oz's hand, holding his free hand in the cusp of both her hands. Her eyes close as she smiles once again.

"Would you always keep Alice safe?" Lacie wishes simply. The gentle touch of her hand against his skin blooms more of the trust that he's already felt inside. A simple wish. That he always kept in mind anyways.

"Of course, Lacie. Always," Oz assures with a smile. He looks to his side, to where he holds the sleeping Alice's hand. It's always been his motive, after all. There is no way to possibly change that. He turns back to Lacie and returns a smile her way.

Lacie nods, "Then, that'll do." Lacie turns her attention to the sleeping girl, embracing the girl and whispering something in the girl's ear that Oz couldn't quite understand. Then the woman presses her lips against Alice's forehead before turning back to Oz.

"So, it's time for you to part," Lacie says.

Ah, to part. Oz feels rather hollow at the sound of that. To part. Again.

Again?

Perhaps it's because of his apparent reunion with these strangers that the words "to part again" resonates with him well. He had lost them before in his memories, and he's about to part with them yet again.

Oz takes a final glance to the people around him: to the cranky ashe blonde, to the poised girl with a bow, to the lanky gentleman with glasses, to the mischievous white haired male, to quiet white haired girl that made his heart beat fast, and to the others he had failed to relearn the names of, who still smile or just acknowledge him. To all these people that have come to see him and Alice in this vast sea of light, with smiles that dazzle just like those golden lights that flicker.

He sniffles and as soon as he hears himself sniffle, he chuckles away at himself, and more tears flow and stream down his cheeks. How silly of him. Why is it that he cries for those he doesn't know… or remember is a better word.

But something tells him that the tears he sheds is better than no tears at all.

" _To be able to cry like this...That's what it means to be happy."_

A voice that sounds as clear as day — that sounds just like his own — rings out in his head.

A sort of memory coming back to him.

Ah, yes. So these tears aren't so bad. This lovely hollow sensation isn't so bad because it meant he _had_ something to lose, even if he cannot remember it.

And he said those words to someone else he is sure.

"Gil…" Unknown words he cannot make out escape his lips, and he begins to cry more and more.

"Aw, there's no need to cry, Oz. You'll see Gil soon," Lacie assures, patting his shoulder.

Gil must be who he has to meet now. He is sure of it.

Slowly, Oz nods. He has to go now. He has to part ways with the people he's met here, until next time, he hopes. And maybe next time he will be able to remember them better and be able to spend time with them more, not just to be escorted by them out.

"Alright, Oz," Lacie grabs Oz's shoulder and turns him and Alice around.

Then with a shove into the light, Lacie exclaims, "Now off you go!"

And suddenly, the lights of the Abyss shine far too brightly that becomes so blinding. Oz grips on tightly to Alice's hand as he yelps.

And it all becomes a dazzling white.

...Soon, that bright white burns into brilliant colors that surround him: into the light blue that paints the sky; into the white sun that hangs there; into the bright green of the grass underneath him. The new colors are almost overwhelming to his sleepy, blurry eyes, but even then, it's rather comforting — uplifting to him.

Groggily, he turns to his right and sees he is holding a hand. Raising his head, Oz sees a sleeping girl, but as soon as his eyes lay on her, she slowly awakens, purple eyes fluttering open, at first full of confusion and then alertness.

She quickly springs up and stands, letting go of Oz's hand, "Oz! Where are we? How'd we get here?"

Oz just chuckles at the Alice's energy. It's been so long since he's seen her so energetic.

"Do you not remember Alice? We were in the Abyss," Oz explains, but Alice spins around, quickly glossing over her surroundings and taking it all in.

"Yeah, I remember! But how'd we get here?" Alice asks.

"We got helped by the others."

"What others? What are you talking about?" Alice crosses her arms.

Oh, that's right. She was asleep the entire time they were in the Abyss, wasn't she?

Oz chuckles again. It's completely understandable now why Alice is so jumpy at the moment — because she was busy being stuck in a blissful golden dream.

Or perhaps, _he_ was the one that was just dreaming a golden dream when they were in the Abyss. He isn't too sure now, but he is sure that it certainly made him happy.

As Oz keeps pondering, recalling his time in the Abyss, recalling the many faces he thought he would never meet again, a smile graces his face so effortlessly.

If that was a dream, then what a wonderful dream that was.

And as he keeps reflecting on that dream, watching the sun hang in the sky, he begins to see a golden figure hurry towards him and Alice through the field of grass. But he knows that cannot be the man he needs to meet.

On a sunny afternoon, Oz finds them walking through a large courtyard, Vincent saying that it's an important place in Oz's memories. They continue walking, curiosity looming over him as he swings Alice's arm around. The broken pillars that peek out of the overgrown vegetation of the area. The old, grimy architecture of the buildings looks about ready to collapse. Oz couldn't help but wonder just how long they've been gone, but his thoughts are quickly cut short.

"Oz, Alice, there's some place I have to be," Vincent turns around towards the two.

"Huh?" Oz blinks in confusion, but he is given no explanation.

No, instead, Vincent hurries away from the two.

"Hey! Hold on!" Alice yells and drags Oz into a run after the older man.

"Wu, Wait!" Oz wheezes, trying to meet the same pace as Alice. He trips a bit but eventually, he gets into the rhythm, his feet pounding against the ground as they hurry after Vincent.

He wouldn't have imagined Vincent is that fast; both Alice and Oz nearly lost the male several times running down the corroding corridors. He's sure he wasn't going to go chasing after anyone at the moment. The person Vincent needed to meet must have been of great importance, if that's the case.

...Or, perhaps…

 _An important date._

That's what Lacie said before sending him off to awaken. At the thought, Oz begins to run faster, even dragging Alice behind him. He has to hurry. He has to run quickly. After all, he and Alice are quite late.

They chase Vincent all the way down to a hole, and without hesitation, Oz and Alice both leap into the hole.

At this point, Oz feels like his legs are going to give up from running so much. He's surprised that Alice is still energetic as ever, even singing a comforting tune as they go, but he supposes that's expected of Alice.

He wheezes as he runs down the stairs, "Hey! Vincent, are you down here?"

They begin to reach the bottom of the stairs, and something piques Alice's interest and she lets go of Oz's hand before running ahead.

Oz reaches his hand towards Alice, "Hey, wait a second!"

Then Oz too reaches the bottom of the stairs, and he is shocked by what he sees. He thought he would only see Vincent, but Vincent is nowhere to be seen.

"Eh?"

There he stands. The man whose name slipped from his lips when they were in the Abyss. The man who he created so many memories with, who has always stayed by his side, even now. The man whose been waiting so long for his and Alice's return.

What can he say, after all this time?

"Hum… Huh…" Oz starts curtly, shuffling in his place, before explaining, "We haven't recovered all our memories. Vincent also said it was weird…"

Silly. He was hoping that he could at least come back and be cool in front of him after all this time, but no, there they are — the tears that he's been wanting to cry. The tears that flow from the warmth of his heart in this very moment.

"But… It's good to see you, Gilbert," How happily he says the man's name.

How quickly Gil is to sprint towards him, with such a big grin and tears, too. With arms wide open to envelop both he and Alice into a tight embrace.

"Welcome back!" Gil says in choked sobs.

Ah, welcome back.

Oz smiles into Gil's coat before reaching up to hug him back.

Yes. He knows now.

On this golden afternoon, he and Alice are back where they belong.

Finally, Oz and Alice are back home.


End file.
